How Reading to a Young Child Helps Development

A child's learning potential can be enhanced by making books a large part of their life. By introducing books to children at a young age, it increases their aptitude for learning as well as having many other benefits.

Studies have shown that children who have been read to early in their lives will do better in their formal education than those children who have not had this advantage. It also assists young children with their basic speaking skills and vocabulary. They learn skills that assist them in being able to communicate better at an earlier age than their counterparts.

Children who have been read to at an early age are also better able to grasp abstract concepts, apply logic to situations in their lives and recognize cause and affect. It helps them also to be able to adapt to new experiences in their lives. By sitting and reading, they also learn self-discipline and the ability to be able to concentrate. It helps children with their attention span and expands their memories. It also builds listening skills and fuels their imagination. Children also learn about other people through reading.

I have witnessed all of this with my two and a half year old granddaughter. Her parents began reading to her and showing her words with accompanying pictures when she was barely six months old. She is now able to read many of her books herself. This has created an interest for her in other things that she is able to do well above her age such as being able to count up to forty. Being read to at an early age creates a love of reading and learning in children. A study done recently indicated that children who were read to at a very young age increased their vocabulary by forty percent over those who were not.

It is also an ideal opportunity for children and parents to spend time together, to bond and to have fun. This has definitely been the case for my son and daughter-in-law. When children have the intimacy of having their parents read to them, it encourages a positive attitude towards reading. And it calms small children because it is a peaceful, quiet time. For this reason, reading before bedtime is particularly good.

It is important to choose books that are appropriate to the child's age. One of the benefits of books are that they can be used to prepare children for changes in their lives, i.e.: potty training, going to kindergarten, and issues relating to playing with other children.

With the many benefits of making books a large part of your young child's life, they also open up the doors to conversations you can have with your child on many topics. The result will be not only a child who has an interest in reading but one with a close bond to his/her parents.